Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election on Monday entering the race as the 36th person to claim the post of head of state.
The 37-year-old sports icon released a video on social media to launch his unexpected bid, telling voters “I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election.”
From Tatamis to Political Arena
Riner said that his reflection dates back to the Paris Olympics, where he remembers a country that knew how to unite. He intends to continue his athletic career and aims to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics “if the position allows me to, and if the French people allow me to.”
Political scientists say that sports stars face hurdles entering French politics. François Hourmant, a professor at Angers University, said that “in France, there are complex hurdles to entry for people who don’t come from the establishment.” Hourmant said that the candidate’s skin color would be a political issue for some people, while Gallard and Hourmant suggested that a candidate who is perceived as more likely to combat discrimination might attract people of color in an election cycle where the far right focuses heavily on immigration.
Mathieu Gallard, research director at Ipsos, pointed out a distinct disadvantage for the candidate. “Teddy Riner certainly embodies renewal, but he doesn’t necessarily embody experience. So that is probably one of his main disadvantages,” Gallard said.
Erwan Lestrohan from the Odoxa polling institute cautioned that while the judo star holds significant popularity, this sympathy does not automatically translate into electoral support, particularly because voters weigh competencies in international affairs, education, and spending power—areas where the candidate remains a profound blank page to the French public.
Riner hails from the overseas department of Guadeloupe and won gold in the heavyweight division at the 2012, 2016, and 2024 Olympics alongside mixed team gold in 2020 and 2024. He joins a history of athletic figures entering public service.
Other French judo champions, including David Douillet, previously served as a member of parliament and as sports minister, while fencing champion Jean-François Lamour and 110-meter hurdles champion Guy Drut also transitioned from athletic retirement into parliament and sports ministry roles.
Macron Welcomes Riner While Riner Rejects Political Ties
President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the announcement during an appearance on France 5 television, saying that Riner’s involvement in the political debate “can only benefit the country.” Macron added his view that politics does not exclusively belong to professionals. Riner later described the incumbent president’s remarks as a poisoned chalice, telling reporters that he is neither a Macronist nor an envoy of the president.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed, reacted to the entry by saying that neither right nor left means not left. “We know how it goes: neither right nor left means not left,” Mélenchon said, expressing satisfaction that an additional contender would further dilute rival polling numbers and potentially ease a second-round qualification for his own movement.
Marine Le Pen took a measured approach. Her anti-immigration party emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly following snap parliamentary polls called by Macron in 2024 and expanded its Senate presence in September.
The candidate made his first official campaign stop at Delafontaine Hospital in Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris, where he was greeted by a large assembly of cameras and media personnel.
Addressing supporters and reporters, the 2.04-meter athlete addressed anticipated criticisms regarding his outsider status and lack of political background by saying that his primary motivation is to prevent national chaos and reject societal resignation. Teddy Riner entered the race as the 36th person to claim the post of head of state.
